Man cutting grass finds body in Arkansas fieldCABOT — Pulaski County authorities say the body of a man found in a field near Cabot on Sunday has been identified as a missing Bryant man. Capt. Carl Minden, a spokesman for the Pulaski County Sheriff’s office, said Monday the man has been identified as Ryan Clemmons, who was reported missing to the Bryant Police Department this month. Authorities did not release any other details about Clemmons. A man cutting grass behind his home found Clem...

Shooter’s mental problems didn’t stop gun buyAssociated Press LAFAYETTE, La. — John Russell Houser was deeply troubled long before he shot 11 people in a movie theater in Louisiana, but decades of mental problems didn’t keep him from buying the handgun he used. Despite obvious and public signs of mental illness — most importantly, a Georgia judge’s order committing him to mental health treatment against his will as a danger to himself and others in 2008 — Houser was able to walk into an ...

Police in Oklahoma say motive unclear in 5 fatal stabbingsAssociated Press BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — Police in Oklahoma say they have turned to social media posts for clues about the motive of a teenager accused in the stabbing deaths of his parents and three siblings during a late-night attack that left bodies strewn through the family’s home. A booking document filed by police in the Tulsa suburb of Broken Arrow accuses Robert Bever, 18, of five counts of first-degree murder and a count of aggravated a...

Boozman honors Russellville native WyattSPECIAL TO THE COURIER WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.) delivered a speech on the Senate floor Friday in honor of the service and sacrifice of Russellville native Staff Sgt. David Wyatt, a U.S. Marine who was shot and killed when a gunman attacked a military facility in Chattanooga, Tenn. Staff Sgt. Wyatt was laid to rest Friday at the Chattanooga National Cemetery. The following are Boozman’s remarks as prepared for delivery: “The...

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SPECIAL TO THE COURIERThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Probe continues after 2-year-old found dead in carAssociated Press HOT SPRINGS — Authorities continue to investigate the cause of death for a 2-year-old found dead in a car in Hot Springs. Jeff Saunders, a shift commander with the Hot Springs Fire Department, says the department and EMS workers responded to a call around 3:20 p.m. Friday concerning a dead child in a vehicle in a residential neighborhood. Saunders says the manner of death may not be known until Monday. TV station KTHV reported...

Ex-officers charged in youth’s arm injuryAssociated Press LITTLE ROCK — Two former law enforcement officers in Yell County face felony charges for their involvement in breaking a 13-year-old boy’s arm at a juvenile detention center last year. Former Danville police officer Timothy Spears and former Yell County sheriff’s deputy Michael Spears are each charged with second-degree battery in connection with the March 2014 altercation with the boy that resulted in a severe fracture of his...

Video: Traffic stop turns into confrontationAssociated Press HEMPSTEAD, Texas — A police dashboard video released Tuesday shows how a routine traffic stop escalated into a shouting confrontation between a Texas state trooper and a black woman who was later found dead in her jail cell. The video posted by the Texas Department of Public Safety shows the trooper stopping Sandra Bland, a 28-year-old Illinois woman, for failure to signal a lane change. After he hands her a written warning, t...

Turkey a vulnerable target for Islamic StateAssociated Press ISTANBUL — Officials have raised concerns that a deadly bombing in southeastern Turkey is part of a campaign of retaliation by the Islamic State group for a recent crackdown on its operations in the country. If they are right, Turkey would be a particularly vulnerable target for the extremists. The country shares a 1,250-kilometer (775-mile) border with Iraq and Syria, putting it nearby to strongholds of the self-proclaimed Is...

Arkansas governor temporarily moves guard recruitersLITTLE ROCK — Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson is temporarily closing the state’s nine storefront National Guard recruitment centers as officials review their security following last week’s attacks on two military facilities in Tennessee. Hutchinson on Monday signed an executive order moving Guard members from the centers to their nearest armory or wing while Adjutant General Major General Mark Berry works on recommendations for improving security...

Don’t be scammed by your ‘favorite grandson’LITTLE ROCK — Scammers are reviving an old ploy to swindle the elderly out of their money. The Arkansas Attorney General’s Office Public Protection Department has recently seen an uptick in reports of the “favorite grandson” scam. These con artists prey on the elderly by calling and identifying themselves as the individual’s favorite grandson or other close relative, who is in serious trouble or has been in an accident and needs money wired ri...

Suspect in shooting of five showed no emotion at arrestBENEDICTA, Maine — The suspect in a criminal rampage across several northern Maine communities that left two people dead showed no emotion and revealed no clues about his motive when he was arrested, the suspect’s uncle said Saturday. Anthony Lord, 35, was arrested Friday after police say he beat a man, stole guns and a pickup truck, kidnapped a young woman and shot five people, killing two. Lord was taken into custody at the home of his uncle...

Slain Marine served honorablyLITTLE ROCK — U.S. Senator John Boozman is remembering the service of a Marine with Arkansas ties killed this week in attacks on two military facilities in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Boozman said in a statement Saturday that Staff Sgt. David Wyatt served his country honorably and gave his life in defense of American freedom. The Republican lawmaker also says the country can’t forget that threats to America exist even away from combat zones. Wyatt...

Bond hearingsThe following individuals appeared during felony bond hearings Friday at the Pope County Detention Center. Their names, ages, anticipated charges and bond amounts are listed. If charged, they will appear Aug. 17 in Pope County Circuit Court. •Justin Metcalf, 31, aggravated assault and terroristic threatening — $7,500. At 9:03 p.m. on Wednesday, a Russellville police officer responded to a call about a disturbance with a gun. The complainant al...

Sheriff’s deputy hurt while on patrolDANVILLE — Sheriff Bill Gilkey announced the arrest Sunday of a Dardanelle man on charges stemming from an incident in which a deputy was allegedly injured. Richard Allen Via, 40, was taken into custody early Sunday after a deputy sheriff on routine patrol allegedly discovered Via standing in a traffic lane of State Highway 7 outside of Dardanelle, according to Chief Deputy John Foster. The deputy reported Via refused to comply with commands t...

Jury duty scamThere is currently a scam in Pope County concerning a man calling citizens about jury duty and demanding $1,500, according to a release from the Pope County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO). A man using the name James Marshall has allegedly called citizens and claimed to be a Pope County Deputy, badge number 731. According to a release, the man demanded the payment of $1,500 to avoid arrest for failing to report for jury duty. The release stated the ma...

Sheriff's beat• Pope County Sheriff’s Deputy Joseph Turner was told by a 27-year-old Dover woman that unknown suspect(s) had allegedly stolen fuel out of their above-ground fuel tanks. There was no way to indicate how much fuel was missing. • Lt. James Lean was told Tuesday by a 47-year-old Dover man that a 74-year-old man allegedly threatened him with a gun for hitting and damaging his mailbox. The complainant stated he thought he would be shot in the back...

Jury duty scamThere is currently a scam in Pope County concerning a man calling citizens about jury duty and demanding $1,500, according to a release from the Pope County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO). A man using the name James Marshall has allegedly called citizens and claimed to be a Pope County Deputy, badge number 731. According to a release, the man demanded the payment of $1,500 to avoid arrest for failing to report for jury duty. The release stated the ma...

Bond hearings (July 15, 2015)The following individuals appeared during felony bond hearings Wednesday at the Pope County Detention Center. Their names, ages, anticipated charges and bond amounts are listed. If charged, they will appear Aug. 17 in Pope County Circuit Court. Brandon Johnson, 37, possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia — $7,500. At about 10:57 p.m. on Monday, a Russellville police officer pulled Johnson over for not using his turn signal ...

Benton County search for man on the run ends in MissouriAssociated Press BENTONVILLE — A four-day search for a 39-year-old man on the run from law enforcement in Benton County has ended in Missouri. Officers had pursued the suspect since Friday evening, when authorities say deputies attempted to serve him a warrant for failure to pay child support and a parole violation. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports the suspect fled from an apartment complex and led police on a chase across a golf course b...